Circuit board assembly for a cellular telephone system or the like

Claim 1

A circuit board assembly for a cellular telephone system or the like, comprising: a printed circuit board having multiple layers including an interior ground plane and an interior signal plane and further having a plurality of electronic components thereon and further having a plurality of ground plane lines and a plurality of signal plane lines on an outer surface which is opposite said electronic components, wherein said ground plane is interrupted in defined regions to permit said signal plane lines to tunnel underneath said ground plane lines, said printed circuit board further having a plurality of holes therein which are plated through to interconnect said interior ground plane with said ground plane lines, said circuit board assembly further having a housing for enclosing said printed circuit board, said housing comprising a frame having an outer wall substantially surrounding the periphery of said printed circuit board and defining an interior space, said frame further including a plurality of interior walls spanning said interior space, said frame including mounting means mounting said printed circuit board to said frame to span the interior space defined by said frame, said ground plane lines on said printed circuit board being in alignment with and electrically engaging the adjacent edge of said interior walls of said frame, said housing further comprising first and second cover plates spanning the interior space defined by said outer wall of said frame on opposite sides of said printed circuit board to thereby enclose said printed circuit board within a housing chamber defined by said outer wall of said frame and said first and second cover plates, one of said cover plates having interiorly extending walls thereon corresponding to and in alignment with said interior walls of said frame on the opposite side of said printed circuit board therefrom and electrically engaging said ground plane lines on said printed circuit board, said interior walls forming a plurality of sub-chambers within said housing chamber, said sub-chambers being arranged to isolate respective ones of said electronic components on said printed circuit board, and securing means directly connecting said first and second cover plates to each other independently of said printed circuit board and said frame such that said first and second cover plates are urged against said frame to secure said frame between said first and second cover plates.